


O Saviour, O Chosen

by Kirito_Potter



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Gen, Religion, Religious Conflict, Religious Discussion, Watford First Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 14:32:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18523486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirito_Potter/pseuds/Kirito_Potter
Summary: “Wait, where are you going?” He met Baz’s eyes, and his gaze was so innocent and childish that Baz was hit with a wave of emotion.Baz swallowed hard. “I was praying, okay?”Simon let go of his arm, surprised. “I didn’t think you were religious.”





	O Saviour, O Chosen

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to mess around with the idea of how mages might view Simon, and how he'd feel under that pressure.

Baz gritted his teeth, slamming the door to his room. He could feel the tension in his shoulders. His hands were shaking. Today was not his day. He’d only been at Watford for a few months, and it was overwhelming. Being away from his family, trying to be better than everyone, having to put up with Snow. All of it was too much.

He sat on the ground, facing his bed, and groaned, smashing his face into his pillow.

Deep breaths.

He felt just as worked up as before. He needed something to focus on.

He lifted his face and shifted to rest on his knees. “O saviour, O chosen, protect me, defend me, when you have risen.” He placed a hand to his heart, lowering his head momentarily before raising his eyes to the ceiling. “O saviour, O chosen, I trust you, I love you, I hold you within.”

“Baz?”

Baz jumped, turning to look. Simon stood in the doorway, eyes wide.

“Baz, what-- what are you doing?”

Simon stepped closer, peering at him. Baz suddenly felt extremely vulnerable, kneeling on the ground with his back to the door. He tried to sneer, but with his palm still pressed to his pounding heart it felt blasphemous.

“What were you saying just now?” Simon asked, frowning. “Oh saviour?”

A pang flew through Baz’s chest as he realised exactly who he was speaking to.

“Merlin, I-- I can’t do this.” He stood, brushing off his knees. “I just-- I need to…” He tried to walk past Simon, but Simon grabbed his arm.

“Wait, where are you going?” He met Baz’s eyes, and his gaze was so innocent and childish that Baz was hit with a wave of emotion.

Baz swallowed hard. “I was praying, okay?”

Simon let go of his arm, surprised. “I didn’t think you were religious.”

Baz laughed dryly. “You should have seen your precious Mage. He went to the same church as my family for years.”

“Really?” Simon took a step back. “I thought he was an atheist.”

“He is.”

Simon shook his head. “Then what church are you talking about?”

Baz glared at the floor. “The Church of Our Saviour.”

“I don’t understand.” Simon’s lips were pursed in thought.

Sighing, Baz sat on the edge of his bed. “You really are thick, aren’t you?” He ran a hand through his hair. “Bloody hell, Snow, we were worshipping  _ you _ .”

Silence hung in the air.

“Me?” He asked finally, mouth hanging open.

“You’ve been prophesied for years, Snow. It’s only natural that mages would start to pray to magic to…” He crossed his arms. “To send you faster. So you could save us.”

“But you hate me!” Simon yelped.

Baz looked up, eyes blazing. “I didn’t bloody know that until I met you! I didn’t even know you’d arrived! No one did!” He bit his lip. “And now that you’re here… the church is falling apart. And I-- I’ve been bloody praying for you for my entire life, you wanker. But now we’re enemies, and my family tells me we’re leaving the church, and I don’t know what to do with myself.” He cleared his throat, looking anywhere but at Simon. “It used to be that… that I could pray for you, anytime I was scared or lonely. You were something stable, something to hope for, something I could believe in. And now what? I’m supposed to act like that never happened?”

Simon opened and closed his mouth, unsure what to say. Baz didn’t look up.

“Baz, I… I had no idea.” Simon rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s hard for me to really understand the way people see me, you know? I’m… just a kid. So-- so hearing you say that people  _ worship _ me… it’s confusing. And a little scary.” He shrugged. “And… I’m sorry, I guess. For-- for making you feel that way.”

Baz’s eyebrows pulled together. “Did you say you’re scared?”

Simon shrugged again. “It’s a lot to live up to. Knowing that there are prayers for me. A whole church.” He kicked his bedpost. “I don’t want to let anyone down.”

Baz wanted to say something, anything. He wanted to explain how he hadn’t even considered the pressure on Simon’s shoulders. He wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault everything had gone South since he’d arrived. He wanted to tell him how comforting it felt to pray to the Chosen One, even if he couldn’t bring himself to open up to the real Simon.

He stood from his bed. “If you don’t want to let us down, don’t listen to the Mage.”

Simon paled. “What--”

Baz didn’t let him finish blundering before he stepped out of the dorm.


End file.
